that president obama knows that medicare is-- we're spending too much on it, and his secret plan, he proposed cutting $250 billion in medicare over the next 10 years, which is exactly what the republicans are proposing. people are running away from the reality of this crisis. and i would argue-- i mean, mark's right, the economy looks good but it can go into a tailspin in the coming months, if somebody does not-- even before a new president or obama begins a second term takes office. in this i'm really not overstating this. anyone who knows about not just the fiscal cliff but the issue, this government is going to have to go into the debt market beginning of next year and ask to borrow another $1 trillion or 2 dollars. they couldn't settle this last year or this year. how are they going to settle it next year? >> bob, this sounds awfully bleak, and it's not. i think our prospects are actually quite priet. the private sector has made a lot of progress. american businesses have reduced their cost structure. their profit margins are as wide as they ever. banks are highly capitalized. ev